LACMA lands Burton

Retrospective opens Sunday

L.A. native Tim Burton may be busy at the helm of films like his current “Frankenweenie,” but the filmmaker’s uniquely creepy vision also extends to hundreds of pieces of artwork he’s created over the years.

The large-scale “Tim Burton” retrospective of his works opens Sunday at LACMA after stops in Gotham, Melbourne and Toronto.

Organized in three sections, the exhibit centers on Burbank, Burton’s hometown and initial source of artistic inspiration: “Surviving Burbank,” “Beautifying Burbank” and “Beyond Burbank” chronologically present Burton’s work from his early drawings and films from the ’70s and ’80s, to his work as a student at CalArts and as a young animator at Disney, and finally to his commercial films and maturation of his portfolio. Works include costumes, storyboards, photographs and puppets.

Exhibition will be in LACMA’s Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion, including large outdoor art installations, screenings of Burton’s feature pics and Saturday Monster Matinees, with screenings of films that inspired the helmer such as “The Thing” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” Danny Elfman, a frequent Burton collaborator on pics including “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” composed music specifically for the exhibit to help enhance the “Burtonesque” environment.

Britt Salvesen, curator of prints and drawings at LACMA, said, “Most people have a good sense of his style, but seeing this show demonstrates how persistent his vision is and how evident it was from very early on.” The Burton exhibition, originally organized by New York’s MoMA in New York, will continue on to the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris after the L.A. run ends on Halloween. Burton will appear at noon Saturday at LACMA to sign copies of “Art of Tim Burton,” and at the kickoff private reception that night.